ABSTRACT
Attachment disorders are the adult consequences of childhood trauma. We often think of trauma as a one-off catastrophic event, but a repetitious experience of neglect or harm also creates the after-effects of trauma, which include problematic affect regulation (Flores 2004). According to Allen, for some individuals, ‘attachment trauma undermines their ability to self-regulate’ (2005: 29). Attachment disorders and trauma are on a continuum of severity, from mild to severe. Substances of abuse and behavioural addictions are used as ways to self-anaesthetise and to self-regulate the negative emotional states left behind by childhood experiences of indifference, incompetence, abuse, abandonment or neglect. Flores writes that ‘difficulty overcoming ineffective attachment states can leave certain individuals vulnerable to addictive compulsions as compensatory strategies’ (2004: 43). Some individuals learn to use sexual fantasy and sexual behaviour as compensatory strategies.
